Builder motion



Feb. 6, 1962 G. H. SANDERS ETAL 3,019,588

BUILDER MOTION Filed April 29, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IIIIIIll!IllIllllllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIQU III! I]! IO U INVENTORS EARLY D. JONES,DECEASED BY SADIE C.JONES,ADMINI$TRATRIX GRADY H. SANDERS ATTORNEY Feb. 6, 1962 G. H. SANDERS ETAL 3,019,588

BUILDER MOTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 29, 1960 FIG. -4

INVENTORS EARLY D.JONES,DECEASED BY SADIE C.JONES,ADMINISTRATRIX GRADY H. SANDERS 3,619,588 BUILDER MOTION Grady H. Sanders, Spartanburg, S.C., and Early D. Jones, deceased, late of Spartanburg, S.C., by Sadie C. Jones, administratrix, Spartanburg, S.C., assignors to Deering Milliken Research Corporation, Spartanburg, S.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 29, 1960, Ser. No. 25,792 9 Claims. (Cl. 57-99) This invention relates to an improved builder motion for roving frames, and particularly for roving frames of the English builder type.

It has long been an object of those skilled in the art to increase the poundage placed on a bobbin with a given package diameter, number of traverse strokes, and base length for the build. It is a major feature of the present invention to provide an improved builder motion for English type roving frames which will yield a bobbin package having an increased poundage thereon with a given base length, diameter, and number of traverse strokes, and which package will be commercially usable and acceptable.

lt is a further feature of this invention to provide an improved roving frame builder motion which produces a roving package with convex ends of a desired predetermined convexity, and which roving bobbin has substantially no more slufling tendency than that of a conventional straight tapered end roving package.

This invention is particularly related to and adapted for use with a roving frame employing the English builder motion, although it will be apparent that it may also be adapted to other roving frame builders. A commercial embodiment of the English builder motion is contained in the Platt roving frame, which is produced by Platt Brothers Limited of Oldham, England.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment constructed in accordance therewith, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic view in perspective, illustrating a preferred embodiment according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a rear view in perspective of the conventional connection between the poker bar and the poker bar cradle.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation view of the two-bar cam bracket per se according to the invention and as employed in the arrangement of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is an outline schematic illustration of a completed bobbin package formed according to the present invention, also illustrating in broken lines for comparison the generally straight tapered ends of the roving packages formed with a conventional English or Platt builder arrangement.

Referring now to the figures of the drawings, as in the conventional Platt or English build roving frame a bobbin traverse rail or carriage 11 carrying a plurality of suitably rotatably driven bobbin holding bolsters 13 is reciprocated in a vertical path by an upstanding rack 15 secured thereto, the rack being reciprocated through the medium of a gear train 17, including a pinion gear 17a meshing with the rack 15, and a reversible clutch arrangement 19. The reversible clutch arrangment 19 conventionally includes a bevel drive gear 21 and a pair of alternately intermeshing bevel gears 23 and 25 fixed on a drive shaft 27, the drive gear 21 being driven by a motor M as through a suitable mechanical connection indicated generally at 29. Intermittent reversing of the reversible clutch 19 is etfected through the medium of a reversing rod 31 and reversing lever 33. The reversing Bfiidfibd Patented F eb. 6, 19652 lever 33 is pivotally mounted and pivotal movement thereof effects selected engagement of one of the gears 23 and 25 with the bevel drive gear 21, this in turn reversing the direction of rotation of the drive shaft 27 upon which they are mounted and which imparts movement through the gear train 17 to the rack 15.

The reversing lever 33 is pivoted first in the one direction and then the other, each reversal taking place at the end of the desired traverse movement of the bobbin rail or carriage 11. This intermittent pivotal move ment of the reversing lever 33 and consequent reversing of the reversing clutch 19 is effected through the medium of a tumbler bracket 35 which is oscillated in alternate directions about a shaft 37 on which it is loosely mounted, each alternate oscillation being eifected at each end of the traverse stroke of the bobbin rail of carriage ll. Also mounted for free oscillated movement on the shaft 37 is a poker bar cradle 39 which is rocked back and forth by a poker bar 40 slidably mounted in a pair of lugs 41 formed on the rear of the cradle 39, as shown more particularly in FIGURE 2. Angular movement of the poker bar 40 and the poker bar cradle 39 about the axis of shaft 37 is effected through the medium of a cam bracket 43, commonly known as a two-bar bracket, which engages with a pair of follower rollers or lugs 49b mounted or formed on the end of the poker bar 40. For the purposes of this application, the follower rollers or lugs 40b will be considered as a part of the poker bar 40.

The cam bracket 43 is suitably secured to and vertically moved in synchronism with the reciprocable carriage 11 as by a connecting bracket 47. Thus, the reciprocating traverse movement of the carriage 11 imparts an angular movement to the poker bar 49 and poker bar cradle 39 about the axis of shaft 57. Upon the poker bar and poker bar cradle moving through a predetermined selected angle, either clockwise or counterclockwise, one of two trip screws 49a, 49b on the poker bar cradle 39 will engage with and disengage a corresponding one of two spring biased holding pawls 51a, 51b which alternately serve to hold the tumbler bracket 35 in clockwise and counterclockwise oscillated positions. For example, in the position of the elements as shown in FIGURE 1 the pawl 5117 is holding the tumbler bracket 35 in the counterclockwise position, and the reversing lever 33 is held in its clockwise movement position to thereby eifect downward movement of the rack 15 and traverse carriage ll. This likewise effects downward movement of the cam bracket 43 and clockwise angular movement of the poker bar 40 and poker bar cradle 39 as viewed in FIGURE 1. When the poker bar and poker bar cradle reach a selected predetermined angular position the trip screw 4% will disengage the pawl 51b from the lug on the top of the tumbler bracket. The tumbler bracket will then be oscillated in a clockwise direction under the influence of a Weight 5315 which is then fully engaged with and biasing the tumbler bracket 35 in the clockwise direction. As in the conventional arrangement a weight relieving cradle lever 55 is suitably connected for angular movement with the bobbin carriage about a pivot 57 in order to effect alternate relieving of the action of the weights 53a and 53b on the tumbler bracket 35. Thus, in the illustrated position of the elements, the weight 53a is raised out of effective biasing position on the tumbler bracket 35 during down ward movement of the bobbin carriage 11, while the weight 53b is permitted to bias the tumbler bracket in the counterclockwise direction. At the lower end of travel of the bobbin carriage 11 the weight 53a will be raised upwardly to relieve its force from the tumbler bracket 35, and the weight 53b will be released to exert a clockwise bias force on the tumbler bracket. The op posits. action then takes place at the upper end of the traverse. movement of the bobbin carriage ll, permitting the tumbler bracket to be biased and moved in the counterclockwise direction upon tripping of the pawl 51a by the corresponding trip screw 49a. As will be seen, the tumbler bracket 35 has a stud 59 fixed to and extending from an extension at its lower end, the reversing lever being engagable with and movable with this stud fil as a. function of oscillating movement of the tumbler bracket.

The extent of travel of the bobbin carriage 11 between each succeeding pair of directional reversals thereof is a function of the length of the poker bar so from its pivot axis to the point of engagement thereof with the two-bar cam bracket 43. In the conventional English or Platt builder motion the two-bar cam bracket has a constant width longitudinal slot formed therein with substantially parallel upper and lower longitudinally extending roller engaging surfaces. Thus, in the conventional Platt or English builder arrangement, by shortening the effective length of the poker bar from its pivot axis to the point of engagement with the two-bar bracket the length of traverse of the bobbin carriage will be shortened on each succeeding traverse stroke by a predetermined constant amount which is a direct and constant function of the incremental extent of shortening of the poker bar for each traverse. This incremental shortening of the effective length of the poker bar is effected, as in the conventional arrangement, through the medium of an escapement including a torque exerting weight 61 and capstan 63, which imparts a unidirectional torque to a ratchet wheel 65' fixed on the shaft 37, and a pair of pivotally mounted escapernent pawls 67a, 67b, each of which is resiliently biased toward engagement with the ratchet wheel 65. through the medium of an interconnecting tension spring 69. Secured. on the stud 59 extending from the extension of the tumbler bracket is a pawl release bracket 711 which is disposed between the two pivotally mounted pawls 67a, 67b; The intermittent oscillation of the tumbler bracket 35 at the end of each traverse stroke of the bobbin carriage 11 efiects the. movement of one of the pawls 67a, 67b out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 65 through corresponding intermittent oscillation of the pawl release bracket 71 on the stud 59 and permits movement of the other pawl into engagement therewith, thereby permitting a small incremental onetooth movement of the ratchet wheel 65 in a counterclockwise direction' as viewed in FIGURE 1. The shaft 37 has secured thereon at its opposite end a pinion 73 meshing with rack teeth 40a formed on the poker bar it), and the intermittent incremental movement of the ratchet wheel 65 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 1 will effect a corresponding intermittent movement of the poker bar 40 by an incremental amount to the left as viewed in this FIGURE 1, thereby shortening the eilective length of the poker bar 40 from its pivot axis to the point of contact with the two-bar cam bracket 43.

According to the present invention the conventional builder motion apparatus of the English or Platt builder frame is employed in conjunction with a novel and improved two-bar cam bracket 43 to effect a roving package build which is superior to that which has previously been formed with the conventional English or Platt builder incorporating the parallel-sided-slot two-bar bracket. A convex ended build may be effected at one end, and preferably both ends, of the roving package through the simple expedient of substituting a two-bar cam bracket according to the present invention for the conventional two-bar bracket in the conventional Flatt or English builder operating mechanism. The configuration of the cam slot 77 formed in the two interconnected spaced apart cam plates 7% of the two-bar bracket 43 may be seen fromFIGURES' l and 3, wherein it will be noted i that the beginning end portion 771: of the cam slot 77 is parallel sided in order to accommodate the horizontal translatory movement of the poker bar follower rollers during the angular movement of the poker bar in following the cam bracket in its vertical path. The initial position of the poker bar rollers 49b in the cam slot 77 is preferably at the left hand end of this parallel sided portion 77a of the slot when the bobbin carriage 11 begins its movement at the extreme end of its initial traverse, and the length of the parallel sided slot portion 77a need normally be only sufliciently long to accommodate the translatory movement of the poker bar rollers. 44]!) toward the right and then toward the left as the poker bar moves in its angular path following the vertical movement of the cam bracket 43 and bobbin carriage 11 on the initial traverse. Thus, on the initial traverse of the bobbin carriage 1 1 the length of the traverse may correspond to the traverse which would normally be effected with the conventional builder arrangement. According :to the present invention, however, the cam slot 77 in the plates 79 two-bar bracket 43 is formed so that after this initial traverse, or several traverses as may be desired, the build will be modified by permitting a selected varying amount of lost motion movement of the cam bracket without effecting a corresponding angular movement of the poker bar. In the preferred embodiment as viewed in FIG- URES 1 and 3 the amount of lost motion permitted between the two-bar cam bracket 4-3 and the poker bar at is increased gradually by a gradual widening of the slot 77 in the direction of longitudinal incremental movement of the poker bar (i.e. toward the left as viewed in FIGURES l and 3) until a desired maximum is reached at an. intermediate point in the build corresponding to an intermediate position of the. poker bar follower rollers along the length of the cam slot 77. The cam slot may then be gradually decreased from this maximum width to a final width which corresponds to the diameter of the poker bar follower roller. Thus, with the illustrated cam slot configuration according to the invention, the initial build stroke will correspond to that which would normally beformed with the English builder, and the intermediate traverse strokes will be greater than the normal build strokes by an amount proportional to the amount of lost motion permitted between the cam bracket and the poker bar.

By employing an improved two-bar cam bracket of the configuration illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 3 a roving' package build will be effected which has convex ends P as distinguished from the conventional flat or slightly concave tapered ends P normally formed by the conventional fiat builder arrangement. In FIGURE 4 there is schematically illustrated in full lines a roving bobbin as formed with a two-bar cam bracket of the configuration as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3. The conventional fiat tapered end shape P is indicated by broken lines, and it will thus be appreciated that through the employment of this invention a substantial increase in volume and poundage of roving may be efiected with a given initial traverse length and a given package diameter. By varying the configuration of the internal cam surface '77 various modified end surfaces may be formed, as desired, in order to effect a desired increase in poundage for a particular type and weight of roving.

While from a theoretical standpoint it may appear desirable to offset one of the upper or lower cam surfaces with respect to the other in the direction of the longitudinal center line of the cam (Le. horizontally) in order to effect fully symmetrical package ends, such has not been found necessary from a practical standpoint due particularly to the very small increment of change (e.g. approximately 0.1 inch) of the poker bar length at the end of each succeeding build stroke. For this reason, the cam has been shown schematically with both the upper and lower cam surfaces substantially identically disposed along the length of the longitudinal center line of the cam bracket. it will be understood, of course, that if one should so desire, the upper and lower cam surfaces may be displaced with respect to each other along the longitudinal center line by an amount equal to the incremental change of the poker bar length at the end of a build stroke. For instance, if the build is started with the bobb-in rail U. at the bottom of its traverse the lower cam surface would be shifted to the left by an mount equal to the eifecive displacement of the poker bar rollers as a result of the incremental shortening of the poker bar effective length at the end of each build stroke, and vice versa if the build is started with the bobbin rail 11 at the upper end of its travel. Howe 'er, as mentioned above, while such precision may be desirable from a theoretical standpoint it has not been found to be necessary to provide such a longitudinal offset of the cam surfaces in order to practice the invention in a practical operation.

Further, the illustrative embodiment has been shown with the cam 75 designed for horizontal setting of the imaginary line from the poker 'bar pivot axis to the center of the poker bar follower rollers when the bobbin rail is positioned with the roving fiyer prcsser feet at the center of the bobbin traverse extent. In some instances, particularly with English type builder frames of the Pratt make, it is customary to set the builder motion with the poker bar itself horizontal when the presser feet are at this center position. in such instances it will be advantageous to oifset the lower cam surface of the cam bracket '75 toward the terminal end (i.e. toward the left as viewed in FIGURES l and 3) slightly order to compensate for the lateral offset of the poker bar per se from its pivot axis and thereby form a desired full sized roving pack age symmetrical at the opposite ends.

Although this invention has been described and illus trated with reference to one preferred embodiment it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements may be made therein with out departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. it will therefore be understood that the invention is not to be limited by this illustrative embodiment, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

That which is claimed is:

l. in a roving frame having a rotatable flyer and a bobbin carriage and an English type builder motion with an angularly movable traverse-reversing and traverselength-controlling poker bar, a poker bar cam vertically movable as a function of the relative traversing position of said fiyer and bobbin carriage, and being arranged in angular driving relation to said poker bar, and means for shortening the effective length of said poker bar from its pivot to the point of engagement with said cam, the im provement comprising an improved poker bar cam having oppositely facing upper and lower internal cam surfaces for imparting angular movement to said poker bar, both said upper and lower cam surfaces having an arcuately concave portion, and being spaced-apart varying distances along the linear extent of said cam surfaces.

2. in a roving frame having a rotatable flyer and a bobbin carriage and an English type builder motion with an angularly movable traverse-reversing and traverselength-controlling poker bar, a poker bar cam vertically movable as a function of the relative traversing position of said flyers and bobbins, and being arranged in angular driving relation to said poker bar, and means for shortening the efiective length of said poker bar from its pivot to the point of engagement with said cam, the improvement comprising an improved poker bar cam having a cam slot with upper and lower oppositely facing cam surfaces spaced apart varying distances along th linear extent of said slot for imparting angular movement to said poker bar.

3. The improvement according to claim 2 wherein the opposing cam faces in the central portion of said slot are further apart than the opposing faces at one end of said slot.

4-. The improvement according to claim 3 wherein said cam comprises a bracket having two spaced apart plates each having a substantially identical cam slot formed therein and in side-by-side registry with one another.

5. in a textile roving frame having a bobbin and a fiyer mounted for relative traversing movement for winding roving onto said bobbin, and a traverse reversing and traverse-length-controlling poker bar engagable with and movable angularly as a function of the reciprocating movement of a cam bracket movable in synchronous re lation with the relative traversing movement of said bobbin and flyer, the improvement comprising an internal cam bracket effectively coupled in driving relation to said poker her, said cam bracket having internal oppositely facing concave poker-bar-engaging cam surfaces spacedapart varying distances along the linear extent of said cam surfaces.

6. A roving frame poker bar cam bracket comprising a plate having an internal cam slot, said slot having oppositely facing arcuate cam surfaces adapted to be engaged by the effective end of a poker bar, said cam slot being of substantially constant width at one end and of gradually increasing width along a portion thereof adjacent said constant width portion of said one end.

7. A poker bar bracket according to claim 6 wherein said cam slot is of gradually decreasing width adjacent its opposite end.

8. A poker bar bracket according to claim 6 wherein said bracket includes two connected spaced-apart plates having substantially identical slots formed therein and disposed in laterally side-by-side registry with one another.

9. A builder motion for a roving frame comprising a vertically movable bobbin carriage, a poker bar, traversereversing means for said bobbin carriage, mean for varying the effective length of said poker bar, said poker bar being operatively connected in controlling relation to aid traverse-reversing means, and a variable lost-motion connection between said poker bar and said carriage, said variable 1ost-motion connection comprising an internal poker bar cam having a cam slot with upper and lower oppositely facing cam surfaces laterally spaced apart varying distances along the longitudinal extent of said slot; for imparting angular movement to said poker bar as a varying function of vertical movement of said bobbin carriage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 905,049 Berard Nov. 24, 1908 1,842,565 Owen Jan. 26, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 496,879 Germany Apr, 28, 1930 661.128 Great Britain Nov. 14, 1951 

